Segmentation and Extraction of Individual Leaves from Plant Images for Species Classification

Plant species classification through the examination of images of plant leaves requires as input an image of a single leaf with no stems or other non-leaf objects. Images of plants, however, usually include more than one leaf, stems, branches, flowers, and other non-leaf objects. For such images each individual leaf needs to be extracted into a unique sub-image, and these sub-images must be cleaned to remove all non-leaf objects. A target leaf could then be selected from the group of sub-images to be provided as the input to the plant species classification program. As a part of the research on this thesis, an algorithm was developed to automate the tasks of detecting and extracting leaf sub-images from plant images and to clean the leaf sub-images by removing all non-leaf objects. To implement the algorithm, software was developed in Java. The proposed algorithm produced at least one perfect leaf result in 18 of the 21 (86%) plant images used in this research, while the remaining three (14%) plant images produced acceptable leaves

The rise and fall of sterling in Liberia, 1847–1943

Recent research on exchange rate regime choice in developing countries has revealed that a range of factors, from weak fiscal institutions to high costs of borrowing in their own currencies, limits the range of options available to these countries. This article uses the case of Liberia to illustrate that new states in Africa during the gold standard era faced similar limitations, even in the absence of formal colonial rule. The rapid depreciation of the Liberian dollar in the nineteenth century led to the adoption of sterling as a medium of exchange and store of value. This initially made it easier for Liberia to service its sterling‐denominated debt and for Liberians to purchase imports from Britain. However, as economic relations with the US deepened during the twentieth century, instability in the pound–dollar exchange rate created serious dislocations in the Liberian economy, ultimately leading to the official adoption of the US dollar in 1943. The story of Liberia illustrates the long‐standing challenges of globalization for peripheral economies and suggests the need for a reassessment of the origins and impact of colonial monetary regimes